and it looks as if the Council is moving in the right direction. After a damning report from government watchdogs in 2005 that slated the local council that covers Greenock, Gourock and Port Glasgow as being the worst in Scotland., it looks as if the council is making some improvements.
The Council has not been lucky with its councillors or chief executives in recent years… but then it is not an easy place to run. The local newspaper the Greenock Telegraph used to do a great job of keeping the council on their toes and the council faced real scrutiny at one point, but this slackened off in the last 5 years or so. Perhaps it’s time that the “tully”, as it’s known in the area once again concentrated on keeping the council and its officials under the microscope.
The old industries of ship-building and sugar refining have disappeared and the council and other agencies have tried to attract the likes of Amazon and T-mobile into the area; but they can only do so much. Inverclyde has its problems, it is an area of deprivation and high unemployment and of very high drug use. And its health situation is not great; when McDonalds decided to open 4 restaurants in the area almost all at once (including one in the new sports complex) local doctors, far from condmening the move, thought that at least it would give some people a break from the fish and chips which made up their daily diet (one Dr was quoted as saying that at least by having a Mickey D meal people got a piece of lettuce and tomato in their bun, which is more fresh veg than many were taking).
Inverclyde does need far more investment from the Scottish Exec, the UK Government and Europe. A lot has been poured into the area, but not nearly enough.
Scottish notes 